Engineering Manager - Automotive Lighting

Engineering Manager – Automotive Lighting

📍
Wixom, MI | Full-time | On-site

TYC Americas is expanding rapidly in Wixom, Michigan with our Michigan Mobility Center — our U.S.

-based development and manufacturing hub for state-of-the-art automotive lighting and mobility technologies
.

This role offers the unique advantage of being co-located with engineering, technology, and manufacturing teams under one roof
, enabling fast decisions, hands‑on execution, and close customer engagement.

We are seeking an Engineering Manager – Automotive Lighting to provide full cradle‑to‑grave ownership of lighting programs while leading and growing the local engineering organization at TYC Americas Wixom
. This role will establish and develop a local Application Engineering team that serves as the primary technical interface to OEM customers
, supporting complete product design, development, validation, and launch activities.

In parallel, this position will establish the organizational framework to effectively leverage TYC’s HQ engineering expertise in China
, ensuring seamless global collaboration, efficient resource utilization, and consistent technical execution. With strong customer demand driving rapid growth
, this role offers the opportunity to build your own team
, actively support recruiting, and develop people, products, and processes that will shape the future of TYC Americas.

• Lead and grow a local Application Engineering team with cradle‑to‑grave ownership of small lighting programs — from design through validation, industrialization, and launch (~40% product design / ~60% program launch
  ).
• Establish the Application team as the product owner
  , overseeing global back‑office engineering resources and owning final PLM gates and launch readiness
  .
• Coordinate with TYC’s Global China engineering team leading Product Design, EE hardware, and optical development; ensure designs meet customer, regional, and regulatory requirements
  .
• Act as a customer‑facing technical leader
  , aligning program direction and design decisions to ensure successful launches.
• Define clear work breakdown structures aligned to priorities, timelines, cost, and technical execution.
• Participate in RFQ activities
  , shaping technical direction for new business with Operations, Manufacturing, Finance, and Program Management.
• Coach and develop engineers through performance reviews, technical mentoring, and accountability.
• Manage interfaces between local teams, global engineering resources, and external partners
  .

• Lead the build‑out and scaling of the local Application Engineering organization in response to accelerating customer demand and program growth
  .
• Partner with leadership and HR to actively support recruiting, hiring, and onboarding of engineering talent.
• Define team structure, roles, and career paths to support current and future program volume
  .
• Establish a culture of technical excellence, accountability, and continuous development
  .
• Build scalable processes, tools, and governance to enable efficient global collaboration.

• Lead development of automotive interior and exterior lighting systems
  , including LED, legacy, and advanced technologies.
• Own and lead technical design reviews (DR1 / DR2 / DR3) per PLM timing.
• Drive R&D initiatives and adoption of emerging lighting technologies
  .
• Maintain internal design rules, engineering guidelines, and compliance documentation.
• Support technology demonstrators
  , customer events, and trade shows.

• Oversee validation to ensure reliability, durability, and performance
  , including DFMEA ownership
  .
• Develop and manage DVP&R plans covering environmental, thermal, and optical testing.
• Ensure compliance with customer requirements, IATF 16949, and regulatory standards
  .

• Translate OEM and Tier 1 requirements into clear technical direction for global engineering teams.
• Lead technical discussions during customer meetings, design reviews, and issue resolution
  .
• Maintain strong communication flow to ensure alignment and customer satisfaction.

• Ensure designs…